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Getting Smart about Smart Phones
So you're thinking of buying a smartphone? With these mini
computers becoming more affordable now may just be the right time.
So with the number of options available, how exactly are you to go
about choosing the right one? The following chart will provide you
some insight into a few of the most common choices to help you
decide which phone is best suited for your needs.
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Model
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Motorola Q
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Samsung BlackJack
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BlackBerry
Pearl
|
Palm Treo
750
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iPhone
(expected release June
’07)
|
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Carrier
|
Verizon &
Sprint
|
Cingular
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Cingular &
T-Mobile
|
Cingular
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AT&T/
Cingular
|
|
Price
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$299
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$199
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$199
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$199
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$499- $599
|
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Weight (ounces)
|
4.06
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3.5
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3.1
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5.4
|
4.8
|
|
Size (inches)
|
4.33 x 2.52 x
.45
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4.4 x 2.3 x .5
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4.2 x 2 x 5.7
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4.4 x 2.3 x .8
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4.5 x 2.4 x
.46
|
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Operating
System
|
Windows Mobile
|
Windows Mobile
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Symbian
|
Windows Mobile
|
OSX
|
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Talk Time
|
4 hours
|
5.5 hours
|
3.5 hours
|
4 hours
|
5 hours
|
|
Standby/ Battery
Life
|
212 hours
|
264 hours (11
days)
|
360 hours (15
days)
|
250 hours
|
16 hours
|
|
Memory
|
64 MB
|
64 MB
|
65 MB
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128 MB
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n/a
|
|
|
|
|
Model
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PROS
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CONS
|
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Motorola Q
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+ Slim Design
+ Spacious Full Keyboard
+ Scroll Wheel for one hand navigation
+ Excellent Call Quality
+ Stereo Bluetooth
Overall great performance with e-mail, contacts and
calendar
|
- No delete key on keyboard
- No dedicated volume control
- Difficult to Multi-task
- Difficult to read attachments
- Blurry pictures with camera
- Does not include Notes application
Not the best phone for
Pictures and Video apps
|
|
Samsung BlackJack
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+ High Speed Downloads
+ Works with Cingular Music & Video
+ Note application included
+ Thumbwheel for scrolling
+ Play Java based games
+ Many handy shortcuts
Great phone for messaging
& impressive Organizer & multimedia perks
|
- No flash for camera
- Navigation key too close to Talk & End keys
- No Wi-Fi
Not the best choice if you’re a photo nut or prefer spacious
keyboards that leave less room for accidentally hitting the wrong
key
|
|
BlackBerry
Pearl
|
+ Attractive design
+ Dedicated volume keys
+ Programmable convenience keys
+ Trackball
+ Diverse organizational options
Stylish and good for looking
up specific data
|
- SureType keyboard is small and difficult to use
- MicroSD card is located behind the battery
- Web pages reformat to fit tall portrait screen
Not a phone for surfing the
web
|
|
Palm Treo 750
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+ Easy access to phone apps
+ Easy access to messaging
+ Improved key layout for easier navigation
+ Windows Mobil allows easier viewing/ editing of
attachments
Great phone for mobile
messengers with user- friendly email, web, and Office
apps.
|
- No Wi-Fi
- Unpredictable data connections
- Only available in 1 color
- Weighted and Chunky in style
Not the lightest phone or the
most reliable connectivity
|
|
iPhone
|
+ High resolution screen
+ Good Sound Quality
+ Switch from Landscape to Portrait view by turning
phone
+ Smooth syncing
+ iPod functionality
This hip new design is
already creating a buzz and is sure to be a hit with the
trendsetting entertainment seekers
|
- Not released yet
- Unsure if Wi-Fi is available
- No actual keys, only surface tapping
- Difficult to read attachments
Many questions still remain to be answered, so we’ll just
have to wait and see if iPhone lives up to the hype
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Client Spotlight
Located in Middletown, CT, MarketStance provides market information
and analytical services for the insurance industry. Offering
products and services that rely heavily upon modern technologies,
MarketStance found that they had outgrown their IT vendor who was
no longer able to provide the level of service required to meet
their demanding business needs. Their primary concerns were in
regard to data security and stability of their network. To
alleviate their concerns, they contracted ForeSite to perform a
complete audit of their technology infrastructure to identify areas
where improvements could be made.
We evaluated MarketStance’s environment, and identified
potential enhancement opportunities. We are working with them to
develop procedures and documentation for many of their business
processes as they relate to IT, and successfully implemented a
corporate security policy in their environment. We also used our
findings to determine an appropriate level of preventative
maintenance in order to sustain a stable and secure network and now
perform regular maintenance visits to ensure technology does not
hinder their ability to serve their clients.
Another Great Addition to the ForeSite Family
 2007 begins just as 2006 ended with ForeSite
growing stronger and faster. In January, we added another valuable
member to our team, Brent Stewart. Brent joins us with 11 years of
experience ranging from web development to network support. Most
recently, he worked at Capitol Light and Supply and has come to
ForeSite to utilize his experience to satisfy client needs on both
sides of the house. He will be a shared resource for both the
development and engineering departments and has already proven that
he will be another fantastic resource for our clients.
Keyboard Shortcuts: Quicker than a Click of the Mouse
Are you the type of person who is always looking for a way to save
a little time? If so, keyboard shortcuts may be quite helpful to
you. Sure the mouse is easy to use, but it’s not necessarily
the quickest way to open an application. If you set up keyboard
shortcuts for your most frequently used programs, you can save
yourself valuable time throughout the day. For example, if you open
Microsoft Word multiple times per day, instead of clicking on the
Start icon, locating Word in the menu, and clicking on the big blue
W, you can setup a shortcut to simply hold Ctrl-Alt-W, and a new
document will open, ready for you to start typing.
To map shortcuts for your favorite applications, simply follow
these steps. First, right-click on shortcut icon in the Start menu
for the chosen program, and choose the “Properties”
option. Next, enter your desired Ctrl-Alt or Ctrl-Shift
letter/number key combination in the “Shortcut Key”
field. As long as the program you are choosing is a shortcut, and
not an .exe file, and is located in the start menu or desktop, the
shortcut will be created and you can launch your programs quickly
and easily.
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